Battle of the Badges Press Conference Thurs., Jan. 11 at 2:00 p.m.

Reading Police and Fire take on Allentown squads

Reading, PA – The Reading Royals will host a press conference on Thurs., Jan. 11 at 2 p.m. at Santander Arena to announce details for their “Battle of the Badges XIII” for the FirstStates Cup Game. All media are invited to attend.

For the second straight year, the Battle of the Badges pits the Reading Police and Fire Department against the Allentown Police and Fire Department on Sun., Feb. 18 at 12:30 p.m., followed by the Royals and Wheeling Nailers at 4:00 p.m. Last season, Reading Police and Fire won a nail-biter, 7-6, in the first edition of “Reading vs. Allentown”.

Battle of the Badges XIII for the FirstStates Cup Press ConferenceTime, Location: Thurs., Jan. 11 2 p.m. at Santander Arena, Main Arena Entrance StairwellFormat: 20 minutes, followed by individual question and answerInvited: all mediaWho: Reading Police Department, Reading Fire Department, Allentown Police Department, Allentown Fire Department, Reading Royals front officeGuests: Ray Melcher – Chief Operating Officer and General Manager Reading Royals | Ken Christian – CEO FirstStates Financial – Sponsor of the FirstStates Cup (which will be present) | Andrew Rebuck – Reading Fire Department | Josh Faust – Reading Police Department | Mike Pychinka – Allentown Fire Department | Ray Ferraro – Allentown Police Department

After the game on Feb. 18, the Royals host Faith and Family Night, a 4 for $44 Family Day (pres. by Safe Berks, Berks Packing and Coca-Cola) and a Slapshot t-shirt giveaway to the first 1,000 kids, presented by Bethany Children’s Home.

History of the Battle of the BadgesThe BOB Game began in 2006 as a benefit game played in remembrance of fallen Reading Police Officer Michael H. Wise II, who died in the line of duty in June of 2004, and Reading Police Officer Scott A. Wertz who was fatally wounded in the line of duty in August of 2006.  The game also raises funds for the police and fire departments scholarship funds.

SeriesLast season, a high-scoring affair went Reading’s way, 7-6, against Allentown in the first-ever meeting between the respective towns’ fire and police departments.

In the historical matchup between the Reading Fire Department and Reading Police Department, Fire won the series 6-4-1.Dates and Scores

February 19, 2006                   Fire                  3          Police              3 (tie)

February 18, 2007                   Fire                  4          Police              2

February 17, 2008                   Fire                  3          Police              2

February 15, 2009                   Fire                  4          Police              2

February 28, 2010                   Police              6          Fire                  0

February 17, 2011                   Fire                  3          Police              2 (shootout win)

February 26, 2012                   Fire                  3          Police              2

February 10, 2013                   Police              6          Fire                  2

March 16, 2014                       Police              8          Fire                  6

March 8, 2015                         Fire                  4          Police              3

March 6, 2016                         Police              6          Fire                  2

March 5, 2017                         Reading           7          Allentown       6

Mental Health Awareness Night and Kelly Cup Puck Giveaway Jan. 6Sat., Jan 6 vs. WOR at 7 p.m.: Kelly Cup Tribute Championship puck to the first 2,000 fans courtesy of Berks-Schuylkill Oil Heat Association. Mental Health Night is presented by the Berks County Office Of Mental Health And Developmental Disabilities.

Dollar Dogs and Postgame skate Jan. 7Sun., Jan 7 vs. WOR at 4 p.m.: Dollar dog day presented by Safe Berks, Berks Packing and Coca-Cola, and a postgame skate presented by Body Zone.

Tickets to three of our biggest games for $30 – Purple and Black Three-Game PackGet an autographed Royals puck and come out to three of our biggest games for just $30.- Sat., Jan. 20 at 7:00 p.m. vs. Brampton (Slapshot bobblehead giveaway, THON Night, Star Wars jerseys)- Fri., Feb. 17 at 7:00 p.m. vs. Brampton (Pink in the Rink, knit scarf giveaway)- Sat., Mar. 17 at 7:00 p.m. vs. Brampton (Yannick Tifu number retired, Meet WWE Million Dollar Man)- Sat., Mar. 24 at 7:00 p.m. vs. Worcester (Kelly Cup Tribute puck giveaway, Autism Awareness jerseys)- Sat., Apr. 7 at 7:00 p.m. vs. Norfolk (FANdemonium, fan appreciation, fan’s choice giveaway)- Call 610-898-PUCK and tickets are available here.

About the RoyalsThe Royals have been owned by serial entrepreneur Jack Gulati since 2014 and are in their 17th ECHL season. Proudly affiliated with the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers and AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms, Reading plays in the Santander Arena, located in downtown Reading, PA at 700 Penn Street. The Royals won the Kelly Cup in 2013, have made the playoffs in eight straight seasons and are four-time division champions.

Reading Royals Mobile AppHead to the App Store and Google Play to download the new Reading Royals app on your smartphone! Stay up-to-date with team news, receive notifications and purchase tickets for your next experience at Santander Arena.

Broadcast CoverageAll Royals game can be heard on Rumba 1340 AM and the iHeartRadio app by searching “Rumba 1340”. The pregame show starts 15 minutes before puck drop. Watch Royals games on ECHL.tv. Reading away games are shown locally on BCTV.